There's more than just one iPhone the US wants to access

Remember when the head of the FBI swore blind that authorities only wanted backdoor access to the iPhone in this one, special case? Turns out that his friends over at the Justice Department just blew that claim miles out of the water. The Wall Street Journal has revealed that the DOJ is currently pushing court cases to get access to the data on no less than 12 different iPhones. The paper's sources say that officials are using the All Writs Act, the same 18th-century law that the FBI feels justifies its request for a backdoor.

The paper also makes mention of how Apple, until this point, has chosen to deal with requests that Tim Cook describes as "chilling." According to a prosecutors letter filed in New York, the company "simply deferred complying with them, without seeking appropriate judicial relief." This time, however, Apple's decision to go public and fight the case has seen luminaries from across the tech world weigh in, most of whom (but not all) support the company.

At the same time, pro-Apple rallies are currently being organized for 5:30pm (your time) later today by advocacy group Fight For the Future. If you want to participate, simply head down to your nearest Apple Store and tell people about why this is generally a bad thing.

Update:Bloomberg has seen freshly-opened court documents that relate to the mythical 12 iPhones that the Justice Department is targeting. The devices are covered by nine different access requests, although specific details about the individual cases remain under wraps. The newswire is reporting that Apple has already said no to seven of the nine demands, and is waiting to learn more about the last two.